Pre-AP World - Chapter 9 Vocabulary

Flashcards for Pre-AP World - Chapter 9 Vocabulary

Tropics

The lands that lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, characterized by wet/dry seasons and influenced by monsoons.

Monsoons

Strong winds caused by high and low-pressure zones which facilitate changes in weather patterns.

Bantu Migration

Significant human migrations which began in West Africa as early as 2000 BCE, caused by the search for farmable land and living space.

Stateless Society

A common form of social organization in sub-Saharan Africa (600-1450), characterized by a lack of hierarchy of government officials but instead the reliance on kinship ties (villages of extended families).

Sahara Desert

Largest desert in the world, geographic feature which divides north Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

Sahel

An extensive grassland (savanna) belt between the Sahara Desert and the African rainforest, served as a point of exchange between north and south Africa.

Ghana

Kingdom located south of the Sahara in the Western Sudan region known for exchanging gold from West Africa for salt from the Sahara.

Mali

West African kingdom that rose to power along the Niger River after the decline of Ghana.

Songhay / Songhai

West African kingdom that rose to power along the Niger River after the decline of Mali.

Sundiata

Legendary “lion-king” and founder of Mali.

Griots

Oral storytellers who preserved medieval African history and culture.

Timbuktu, Gao, Jenne

Cities along the Niger River which served as centers of trade and culture for West African kingdoms.

Mansa Musa

Grand-nephew of Sundiata who ruled over Mali from 1312-1337 and became very influential in spreading West African culture and wealth during his hajj to Mecca.

Madrasas

Religious/Islamic centers of learning.

Sunni Ali

Best known Songhay leader who seized Timbuktu and Jenne leading to Songhay’s domination of the central Sudan.

Swahili Coast

East coast of Africa where a common language and Islamic-based culture developed as a result of Indian ocean trade.

Swahili

A Bantu language widely used as a lingua franca in East Africa and having official status in several countries.

Hausa States & Kanem-Bornu

15th century African states located in central Africa in the Sahel belt, below the Sahara Desert.

Mogadishu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilwa, Zanzibar, Sofala

East African trading cities known for Islamic and Indian cultural influences.

Great Zimbabwe

Located on the Zambezi River, trading kingdom who’s main export was gold.

Axum/Ethiopia

Kingdoms of sub-Saharan east Africa based on Christianity.

Mahmud of Ghazni

Muslim Afghan warlord who invaded the Indian subcontinent and destroyed Hindu and Buddhist temples.

Delhi Sultanate

Islamic kingdom established in northern India, ruled from 1206-1526.

Shrivijaya

Buddhist trading empire in SE Asia.

Malacca

Powerful trading port in SE Asia.

Pax Mongolica

Mongol peace, unifying force throughout much of Asia and parts of Europe which made long-distance travel possible.

Dar al-Islam

“The house of Islam”, unifying force throughout much of Asia and parts of Europe.

Marco Polo

Italian merchant and traveler who stayed in Khanbalik for 20 years and wrote a journal documenting his experiences.

Ibn Battuta

Trader who visited Muslim land in many tropical areas between 1325-1354, and had a scribe document his experiences.

John of Montecorvino

An Italian priest who spent years in China in the late 1200s, translated parts of the Bible into the Mongol Turkish languages and built churches.

Magnetic Compass

Navigational tool invented in China, allowed sailors to sail farther distances away from land and navigate greater bodies of water.

Communal Cities

Urban centers during the middle ages that seemed to be uniquely characterized by the culture of the people and territories around them; examples – Paris and London.

Convergent Cities

Urban centers where people of different ethnicities came together to trade, and visit government centers, cultural diffusion was prevalent; examples – Islamic and Chinese cities.